health

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Related to health: Men's health, Women's health, health band

clean bill of health

1. A doctor's report that a patient is in good physical health. Josie was relieved when she received a clean bill of health from her physician.

2. An assurance that an organization or process is operating properly according to specific standards. Despite accusations that the company was responsible for polluting the lake, it received a clean bill of health from the environmental agency after a thorough investigation.

See also: bill, clean, health, of

ill health

A state of sickness. It's always sad to lose a loved one, but my grandmother was in ill health for a long time, so at least her suffering is over now.

bill of health

1. An official report that a ship's crew is in good health. If the ship received a bill of health before departing, why are so many people onboard suddenly sick?

2. A statement affirming the condition of something. Thank goodness my car got a clean bill of health at its inspection—I can't afford any big expenses right now.

be the picture of (something)

The ideal example of something (which is listed after "of"). Yes, Jill was in the hospital a few months ago, but she's the picture of health now. We went running together just the other day.

drink (someone or something's) health

To drink in honor of someone or something; to toast someone or something. Let's drink our health!

drink to (someone or something's) health

To drink in honor of someone or something; to toast someone or something. Let's drink to our health!

image of health

One who is or looks especially healthy, robust, of full of vitality. My grandmother is nearly 70 and smokes two packs of cigarettes a day, but somehow she's still the image of health. It's amazing how having a bit of a tan can make someone an image of health.

picture of health

One who is or looks especially healthy, robust, of full of vitality. My grandmother is nearly 70 and smokes two packs of cigarettes a day, but somehow she's still the picture of health. It's amazing how having a bit of a tan can make someone a picture of health.

nurse (someone or something) back to health

To give close medical care and attention to someone or an animal in an attempt to return them or it to full health. The government nursed the foreign spy back to health so that he would be able to survive their torture techniques to extract information from him. The poor stray was nearly starved to death when we found her in the gutter, so we took her in and nursed her back to health until she was back to a healthy weight.

*in the best of health

very healthy. (*Typically: be ~; get oneself ~.) Bill is in the best of health. He eats well and exercises. I haven't been in the best of health. I think I have the flu.

nurse someone back to health

to care for a sick person until good health returns. Sally was glad to help nurse her mother back to health. She nursed her children back to health when they all had the flu.

picture of (good) health

in a very healthy condition. The doctor says I am the picture of good health. Each of the children is the picture of health.

clean bill of health

A report confirming the absence of fault or guilt in a person or thing, as in Jeff checked every component and gave the computer a clean bill of health, or He had a foolproof alibi so the police had to give him a clean bill of health. This term comes from a 17th-century practice of requiring ships to produce a medical document ( bill) attesting to the absence of infectious disease on board before landing.

See also: bill, clean, health, of

a clean bill of health

COMMON

1. If someone is given or gets a clean bill of health, they are told that they are completely fit and healthy. He had a full medical late last year and was given a clean bill of health. Great Britain coach Mal Reilly, delighted to receive a clean bill of health for his 19-man squad, names his side today.

2. If something is given or gets a clean bill of health, it is examined and then judged to be in a satisfactory condition. Fourteen seaside resorts failed to meet the environmental and safety standards, while 43 were given a clean bill of health. At the end of that intensive study, the chemical industry got an environmental clean bill of health. Note: A bill of health was a certificate which was given to a ship's master to present at the next port the ship arrived at. It stated whether or not there was an infectious disease aboard the ship or in the port it was departing from.

See also: bill, clean, health, of

the picture of health

a picture of health

If someone is the picture of health or a picture of health, they look very healthy. He lay propped on pillows, looking the picture of health, his skin tanned, his jaw firm. Today, Ryan Carroll is a picture of health. Note: Other words can be used instead of health to emphasize how someone looks. He was hardly a picture of elegance. Day after day she came and sat with us and looked a picture of misery.

a clean bill of health

a declaration or confirmation that someone is healthy or something is in good condition.

In the mid 18th century, a bill of health was an official certificate given to the master of a ship on leaving port; if clean , it certified that there was no infection either in the port or on board the vessel.

See also: bill, clean, health, of

a clean bill of ˈhealth

a statement that somebody is well or something is in a satisfactory condition: The doctor’s given her a clean bill of health.A bill of health was an official document given to the captain of a ship when leaving a particular port that said that nobody on the ship carried any disease or infection.

See also: bill, clean, health, of

drink somebody’s ˈhealth

wish somebody good health as you lift your glass, and then drink from it

be the ˌpicture of ˈhealth, ˈhappiness, etc.

be completely or extremely healthy, etc: She’s the picture of happiness in this photo. ♢ He’s the picture of misery, isn’t he? Look at him standing there in the rain.

clean bill of health, to have a/be given a

To have passed a rigorous inspection. The term comes from the nineteenth-century practice of issuing an actual bill of health, a document signed by the authorities and given to the ship’s master, stating that no infectious diseases existed in the port of embarkation. If there was some kind of epidemic, the ship received a foul bill of health. Before long the term was transferred to the assurance that an individual or group or organization was found, after investigation, to be morally sound.

picture of health, the

A model of well-being. This complimentary description has been around since the late eighteenth century. Jane Austen used it in Emma (1815): “One hears sometimes of a child being ‘the picture of health.’”

See also: of, picture

References in periodicals archive ?

The first component, the provider of health care, is a familiar functional role.

Often vested with the camp director or a year-round nurse, this function of health services includes tasks such as determining the scope of health care provided by the camp; determining the mix of health providers needed and personnel management of that team; interfacing with insurance companies; overseeing budget decisions specific to the camp's health services; writing policy that impacts the health of both campers and staff; arranging services from out-of-camp providers (e.g., pharmacies, hospitals, mental health professionals dentists); and monitoring the impact of regulatory bodies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) upon the camp.

Camp health services: updating the paradigm: risk management

Census 2002 report, young adults ages 18 to 24 were less likely than any other age groups to have health insurance," says Sharon Fisher, communications coordinator for the American College Health Association (ACHA), a national organization made up primarily of individual members in college health services departments.

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Evidence collected in studies conducted in various countries shows that macrodeterminants--such as gender, ethnic origins, or race--play a major role in the degree of access to services and in the health status of populations.

Steps for preventing infectious diseases in women

In nearly every other country in the world, health care is a right of citizenship for people of all ages.

Employer-provided health care: where's the justice?

The premise on which managed care--particularly health maintenance organizations--was built included closed networks, tight utilization management and capitation.

When consumer-directed plans met managed care: the growing popularity of consumer-directed health care doesn't mean the demise of traditional managed care, but rather a coming together of the two types of products

Health sciences elective courses at this urban university require four hours of CSL during the semester.

The real world: service, learning and missions

Morbidity, mortality and hospital discharge statistics are poor indicators of what determines the health of a population.

Anglo-Australian male blue-collar workers discuss gender and health issues

This can include training and mentoring to junior faculty in environmental health sciences, promoting interactions with established investigators in related disciplines, and helping young scientists and clinician-scientists to build foundations for careers in NIEHS-sponsored programs.

Environmental Health Sciences Core Center Grants

Sam Campbell, Director of Continuous Quality Improvement, Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax to Investigate and Correct Obstacles to the Transition of Patients from the Care of Caregivers in the Community to those in Secondary and Tertiary Health Care Institutions;

CHSI awards 26 fellowships to health managers

The exploding costs of health care and the lack of any immediate cost-cutting alternative have created a political environment that is far more open to reform than it was in 1994.

Solved! It covers everyone. It cuts costs. It can get through Congress. Why Universal Healthcare Vouchers is the next big idea

Part I includes eight chapters on global health policy ranging from topics such as implications of multilateral trade agreements, public-private health partnerships, regulation in the context of global health markets, healthcare financing reform and policies, as well as cost-effectiveness analysis.

Kelley Lee, Kent Buse and Suzanne Fustukian (Eds.), Health Policy in a Globalising World

As the recommendations make clear, Latina sexual and reproductive health cannot be neatly compartmentalized under the rubric of minority health, women's empowerment, human rights, poverty alleviation or the movement for universal access to general health care.

Opportunities for action: addressing Latina sexual and reproductive health

In part 2 of the series "Consumer Health Issues, Trends and Research," contributors address the many facets that comprise consumer health information services.

Introduction

The link between health care costs and corporate failures is clear in at least two major industries, steel and airlines, and there's speculation that the auto industry could be next.

The U.S. health care crisis: can CEOs turn up the heat on Washington for solutions?